Air recirculating and humidifying apparatus



July 16, 1935. R. u. BERRY 2,008,540

AIR RECIRCULA'I'ING AND HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1954 Inventor. I Robert U. Ber-fig His Attorney.

Patented July 16, 1935 2,008,540

UNITEDISTATES PATENT OFFICE AIR RECIRCULATING AND HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS Robert U. Berry, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 29, 1934, Serial No. 733,041

6 Claims. (Cl. 261-24) This invention relates to air conditioning and In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a side has for a principal object the provision of an View, partially in section, of the improved air improved system and apparatus for humidifying humi-difying and circulating unit and illustrates and recirculating air. the manner of mounting the unit beneath the A more specific object of the invention is the floor structure of the building; Fig. 2 is a plan 5 provision of an air humidifying and circulating View, partially cut away, of the unit; Fig. '3 diaapparatus in the form of a self-contained unit grammatically illustrates the electrical control adapted to be mounted beneath the floor of a circuit for the unit and Fig. 4 diagrammatically oom and to be incorporated in a ductless air illustrates the manner of incorporating the unit recirculating system. 7 t in a ductless air recirculating system for a build- 10 Another objector theinvention is the provision ing. of a self-contained air humidifying and circulat- Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 in which I ing unit adapted to conform to and be suspended are clearly shown the details of construction of from the joist-supported floor structure of a the preferred embodiment of the air humidifying building. and circulating unit, it will be seen that the main 15 A further object is the provision in a building, nclosi g h si n, preferably Constructed of of a ductless air recirculating system having an sheet metal, is in the form of an inverted T the improved air humidifying and circulating unit upper leg of which comprises a rectangular caswhereby the rooms of the building constitute the ing I I constituting the air delivery stack of the 2 means for conducting air to and from the unit. unit and the lower or horizontal leg of which Among the other objects of the invention which comprises an elongated rectangular casing I2 will become apparent hereinafter; is theprovision having air inlet openings I3 disposed in each end in an air conditioning unit of improved means for thereof. I4 and I 5 respectively represent the filtering, humidifying and circulating air, and of floor and S ppo J' 0f the 1 uc ure an improved arrangement of such means whereby Of a b d g such as that diag a ca y il 25 properly conditioned air may be supplied with a trated in Fig. 4 and in practice would be part of maximum of efficiency and a minimum of noise the floor structure separating the first fioor room and operational care. 7 or rooms I6 and the basement I! of the building A preferred embodiment of the improved air as shown. In the preferred embodiment of the humidifying and circulating unit as illustrated invention the unit is designed to be hung in the 30 and described hereinafter comprises in general basement beneath the floor structure with its anenclosing housing in the form of an inverted Weight carried by hangers I8, screwed to joists T, the upper or vertical leg of which is shaped to l5, and mounting studs l9 which a e p vided 011 fit between the joists of the floor structure of a the top of the casing I2.

building, and the lower or horizontal leg of which Centrally located in the top of the casing I2 is 35 is adapted to be suspended from the floor or an Ope 25 ha g an pturned rounded rim joists and is provided within its interior with air 2i around which is symmetrically d p sed a rec filtering, humidifying and circulating means artangular upturned mounting flange 22. It is ranged in proper cooperative relationship. The preferable that the delivery stack ll be secured o horizontal leg is provided with inlet openings detachably to the casing I2 by means of the 40 through which air is drawn into the housing from screws 22 so that in the mounting of the unit the room or space beneath the floor, and the verthe casing I2 may first be attached to the joists tical leg is provided with 'anoutlet opening ar- I5 as previously explained, after which the deranged in registry withanopening in the floor livery stack Il may he slipped downwardly through whichtreated air is discharged into the through the space between the joists I5 with its 45 room above the floor. Further in accordance lower end fitted over the mounting flange 22 and with the present invention, the improved unit, then secured to the flange byscrews 22'. The which requires no air supply or return ducts, is upper or discharge end of the delivery stack II incorporated in an air recirculating system is provided with an outwardly extending flange wherein the rooms of the building serve as means 23 which is adaptedto be fastened over the rim 50 for conducting the air to and from the unit, there of the opening in the floor I4 by means of screws being provided a return opening for conveying 24. In some installations it may be found despent air from the room or rooms above the floor, sirable to support the whole weight of the unit. and which are to be ventilated, into the room or from the flange 23, leaving casing I2 attached space beneath the floor and surrounding the unit. to duct II by screws 22, and thus eliminate the -56 water distributing header or pan necessity for hangers l3, and in other installations it may be desirable to eliminate flange 33 and to slip the delivery stack attached to the casing l2 upwardly between the joists it when the casing is fastened to the joists. A grille is placed over the opening in the floor and the discharge end of the delivery stack and may also be secured in place by means of screws 2%.

One side of. the casing i2 is made in the form of a removable cover 2%, shown partially cut away in Fig. l, which is secured in place by means of wing nuts 2?. This cover can. be readily removed to give access to the interior of the unit for purposes hereinafter to be pointed out. Disposed within the opening'2fi in the top of the casing i2 is an annular curved wall converging mouth piece held in place by means of brackets Si which provides a round edged orifice for assuring stream lined flow of the air from the casing l2 into the delivery stack ll, thereby .re-

ducing the turbulence of the air discharge and the resultant. noise component of the unit.

,Air filterssil are disposed, one at each end of the casing and in. registry with each of the inlet openings shown, and preferably consist of easily removable metal frames which is packed steel wool, oxidized or otherwise treated toiinprove its eificiency as an air filtering means. It is to be understood that any other well. kn wn and suitable types of removable filter frames may be used if desired. Brackets are provided on the inner surfaces of the endwalis of. the casing 52 for supporting the filter frames.

A pair of humidifying units are also disposed one within each end of. the casing i2 and preferably are of the type described and illustrated in the copendingapplication. of Clarence C. Bailey, Serial No. 783,077, filed June 29, 1934, or one of the modifications thereof such as described and illustrated in the, copending applications of Sydney E. Miller, Serial No. 736534, filed July 24, 1934, and M. Stanton, Serial No. 734,975, filed July 13, 1934, all of which applications are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Although the details of the humidifying units, which are illustrated in diagrammatic form only, form no portion of. the present invention it may be said for purposes of completeness in thistlescription that the preferred type of unit consists in general of a plurality of horizontally disposed layers of wire mesh screen 34 capable of accumulating and. suspending a multiplicity of globules of water in accordance with the principles set forth in the Bailey application referred to, and stacked in superposed spaced apart relation beneath a water distributing header such as a pan- 35; as shown, having openings in the bottom: thereof for discharging a plurality of streams of water downwardly upon the screen stack. Preferably the openings in the pan are buried on the underneath side to prevent stoppage by scale deposits as pointed out in the Bailey applica: tion. Any suitable means, such for example as that describedfand illustrated in the previously mentioned Miller application, may be provided for supporting thescreen stack beneath the 35 and it is to be understood that the supporting rods or straps 35 are shown for purposes of illustration only. Furthermore, any. suitable means may be provided for detachably mounting the humidifyi zr units within the, casing l2 but for purposes of illustration themounting means are shown as comprising brackets is? depending from the top of the casing 52 and cooperating with the flanged rims 33 of the distributing pans 35.

Air circulating means is provided within the casing |2 and in the preferred embodiment illustrated consists of a fan of the Upson type disposed just beneath the discharge mouthpiece 30 and coaxial therewith, having a vertical-axis resiliently mounted. driving motor lrl In the preferred embodiment of this invention the motor 4| is surrounded by a protecting housing 42 which is mounted in an opening centrally disposed in the bottom of thecasing i2 and which has ventilating openings 43 disposed below the level of the casing. A pair of coiled vertical axis springs 44 are placed one at each end of and in axial alignment with the motor 4| to resiliently support the motor within the'housing 42. The upper spring surroundsthe motor shaft which extends beyond the housing with means on the end thereof for mounting the fan. This improved form of resilient mounting hasproved tobe highly effective in. preventing. the transmission. of. noise and vibration from the motor to. the. enclosing. housing of the unit. a

Water is supplied to the. distributing pans 35' by means of pipev t5 secured in the top of the casing i2. andhaving discharge. nozzles 46 positioned above each of the pans. This pipe is connected at its midpoint to supply pipe 41 which in turnis connected through pipe 50, valve casing 5|-, pipe 52 heating coil 53, and. pipe 54 "to the water main (not shown) Inthe preferred embodiment, water for humidification is heated in the coil 53 which is disposed. within a heating chamber or steam chest 55'mounted on top of the casing l2. Heating medium such. assteam or hot'water is supplied to the: heating chamber through pipe 56 from any suitable. source such as the furnace 51 located in the basement of the building and which is also connected to the house heating system by means of pipes 60 and. 6|; Pipe 62- provides means for returning heating. medium from the heating chamber. to the furnace and 63 representsa. valverwhich may be employed for venting air from the heating chamber. It may be found desirable. in. some'instances-to remove the heating chamber from. the unit and mount it in closer proximity to the furnace, in which case the water is conveyedito the unit fromthe-hea-ting chamber by pipes. V

The electricalcontrol circuit for the unit'comprises. power line- 54', transformer 65 and solenoid operated valve 66 both of Whichare: mounted upon the unit, and hand operated-switch Gland huinidistat 88 which are located at some 'convenientpoint within the building. Thi'scircuit is diagrammatically illustratedin Fig; 3: and'as' will be seen therefrom the fan motor 4|: is. connected across the power line 64 and in parallel with the primary of the transformer 65- with manually operated. switch 61 provided for stopping. and starting the motor. Power is supplied: by means of the secondary'of transformer 65 to the energizing winding of solenoid operated valve 66, which. windingjis in series with the contacts of humidistat 6.8. Switch 6! controlsboth the fan'andithe powerrsupply tov the transformer and solenoid valve fifixwillnot open unless both the switch and the contacts of humidistat 68 are closed;

Referring again toFigs. 1' and 2, the solenoid operatedvalve'fifi. is disposedwithinthe casing 5| for controlling the supply of humidif'ying'water to the supply'pipefl and distributing pipe 45. Transformer 65. is enclosed in the connection box- ?6 mountedon-the bottom of the. casingalh Power is supplied to the connection box from the supply'linesfi l bymeans of the leads 1| and connections are made therefrom to fan motor 4|.

by means of cable 12,-and to the solenoid operated valve by means of another cable (not shown).

In the casing i2 beneath the screen stacks 34 and surrounding the motor housing 42 is disposed a pan 13 for catching unevaporated water which drains from the screen staoks,'and this pan is provided with adrain pipe 14 for carrying waste water to the sewer connections as shown in Fig. 4.

In order that spent or used air may be returned from the room or rooms IE to the basement IT to be recirculated through the unit, a grilled opening 15 is provided in the floor M at a point remote from the discharge opening of the unit. Such a return opening may, however,- be located in the walls or some other convenient place in a manner which will give proper communication between the room l6 and the basement IT.

The operation of the improved air recirculating and humidifying system'and apparatus is as follows: Fan motor M is started by the closing of manually operated switch 6'! and fan 4!] operates to draw air from the basement I! inwardly and 1 the converging mouthpiece 38 and the delivery stack I l and discharged through grill into the room l 5 through which it circulates and from which it eventually passes through grilled opening back into the basement I1. I

less than the desired degree of humidity is present in the room [5, the contacts of the humidistat 58 will close thereby energizing the solenoid operated valve 66 which controls the fiow of water through the casing 5!. As previously described, water is supplied to the casing 55 from the water main through pipe 54, heating coil 53 in the steam chest-55, and pipe 52. The opening of the valve 55 permits the flow of water from the casing 5i through pipes 50, ii, and i5,

and the nozzles 46 into the distributing pans 35.

The water then flows through the holes in the bottom of the pan down onto the evaporating screens at where it is held momentarily in suspension in the form of drops depending from the intersections of the wires or the screens as clearly pointed out in the previously referred to- Bailey application, and a portion of the heated water is there evaporated by means of the current of air drawn into the casing l 2 by means of the fan Mi. The remainder of the water flows down into the pan l3 and from thence passes through the drain 74 to the sewer connection. Water for humidification is heated in the coil 53 by means of the steam or hot water supplied through pipe 62 to the heating chamber 55 from the furnace 5? as previously pointed out.

As a precaution against wastage of water and against excess humidification upon initiation of operation of the unit the solenoid valve 65 and humidistat 63 are so connected that no water can be supplied to the evaporating unit unless switch 67 is closed and the fan motor 40 is also in operation to blow air over the evaporating unit.

The size and capacity of the various elements comprising the air humidifying and circulating unit may be varied in accordance with well known principles to meet the local conditions encountered, and the delivery stack ll may be made or proper size to fit between the joists of the parto suspend the unit. Such variations are within the range of mechanical skill and can readily bemade by one skilled in the art after a proper understanding of the description herein given.

Due to the conformation and the compact and simple construction of the unit it mayreadily be mounted, as previously described, beneath the fioor structure in any convenient place and can readily be demounted when desired. By removal of the cover 26 access may be had to the interior of the unit for removal of the filtering and humidifying units for cleaning, repair and replacement. The symmetrical arrangement of the filtering and humidifying units with respect to the fan, and of the fan with respect to the inlet openings in the casing i2 and the mouthpiece 30 in the delivery stack ll, results in the ability of the unt to supply the desired amount of air with a minimum amount of noise. The resilient mounting of the fan motor ii also prevents transmission of noise and vibration therefrom to the supporting structure of 'theunit, and the provision of the slanting fine mesh screens 73 below the screen stacks deadens the noise or" the dripping of water therefrom into the pan 73.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a simple and compact unit particularly adapted to be suspended beneath the floor structure of a room or similar enclosure and to produce circulation of humidified air through the room without the necessity for the use of air ducts. The embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein has been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles involved and the general structural re quir ments. It will'be apparent, however, that the invention is susceptible of being modified to meet the different conditions encountered depending upon its location and use, and I, therefore, aim to cover by the appended claims all of the modifications which are within the true spirit andscope or my invention.

Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is: V

' 1. An air conditioning unit comprising in com- What I claim as new and desire to secure by bination, an enclosing casing having air inlet openings in the end walls thereof and an air exhaust opening located in the top wall thereof substantially midway between the ends thereof, one of the side walls of the casing being removable to give access to the interior of the casing, a fan located in the casing substantially directly beneath said exhaust opening for drawing air in through said inlet openings and for forcingair up through said exhaust opening, a motor disposed in the casing for driving the fan, a housing for totally enclosing the motor, means for resiliently mounting the motor in the housing, air filter screens removably mounted within the casing in registry with each of said inlet openings, humidifying means removably mounted in each end of the casing in the path of the air drawn thereinto, means for feeding a predetermined controlled supply of humidifying water to said humidifying means and heating means mounted on the casing for controlling the temperature of the humidifying water.

2. An air conditioning unit comprising an elongated enclosing casing having air inlet openings in the end walls thereof and an air discharge opening in the top wall thereof, said discharge opening being located substantially midway between the ends of the casing, a vertical axis fan mounted in said casing and substantially directly ticular floor structure under which it is desired beneath said discharge opening for drawing air in through said inlet openings and for forcing the air out through, said discharge opening, air filter ing and humidifying means located in the opposite ends of the casing in the path of the air drawn thereinto, and means including a round edged orifice in said discharge opening for lessening the noise of the air discharge from the unit.

3. An air conditioning unit adapted to be suspended beneath, a floor structure comprising an elongated casing, having air inlet openings in the end walls thereof and an air discharge opening located in the top wall thereof substantially mid- Way between the ends thereof, one of the side walls of the casing being removable for giving access to the interior of the casing, fan means mounted in the, casing and arranged todraw air in through said inlet openings and to force the air out through said discharge opening, and a removable air filter frame and a removable humidifying unit located in each end of the casing in the pathvoi the air drawn thereinto, said filter frame and humidifying units being slidably mounted for removal when said one side of the I casing is open and means for attaching said casing beneath said floor structure.

4. An air conditioning unit adapted to be suspended foeneath, a floor structure, including in combination an enclosing casing having air intake openings in the end walls thereof, an air exhaust opening in the top wall thereof and an opening in the bottom wall thereof in substantially axial alignment with said exhaust opening, a substantially closed housing mounted in said last mentioned opening and extending above and below the bottom wall' of said casing, an electric motor resiliently mounted in said housing with its drive shaft extending vertically through the top of said housing, said housing having openings through said exhaust opening, and air treating means mounted in said casing in the path of the indrawn air.

5. An'air conditioning lunit including in combination an elongated enclosing casing having air inlet openings in the end walls thereof and an air outlet opening in one of the side walls thereof substantially midway between. said end walls, means providing a round-edged discharge orifice forv said outlet opening, fan means located in said casing in substantially axial alignment with said outlet opening for drawing air in through said' pan for breaking the fall of the water from said humidifying zones into said drip pan.

6. In an air conditioning unit the combination of a horizontally elongated enclosing casing having air inlet openings inthe end walls thereof and an air outlet opening in the top wall thereof substantially midway between said end' walls, an air outlet conduit of restricted area extending vertically upward from said outlet opening, said 7 casing also being provided with an opening in the bottom wall thereof in substantially axial alignment with said conduit, 2, motor driven impeller having the driving motor thereof vertically mounted in the opening in the bottom wall of said casing with the impeller disposed in proximity to the inlet of said conduit, removable air filtering screensand water suspensionscreens mounted at each end of the casing and a removable water drip pan extending beneath all of said screens and provided with a central opening therein for receiving said driving motor.

ROBERT U. BERRY. 

